Is there a test for contamination from exotic breeds such as damaras etc?

Research by the South Australian Research & Development Institute (SARDI) has shown that in cases where such contamination occurs it is generally spread through the fleeces. Therefore, it is possible that the existing core sampling system used for determining Yield and Micron may also provide a sufficiently representative sample for a dark fibre test.

Of course this still depends upon the development of a suitable test. CSIRO has developed a Dark Fibre Detector which has been used by SARDI in its research in this area. However, this instrument is not suitable for routine examination of samples from greasy wool. It is extremely slow.

CENTEXBEL in Europe has developed an instrument called the "Optalyser" for detecting dark fibres, vegetable matter and neps in wool tops. Again, this instrument is not suitable for greasy wool.

In May 2003 AWTA Ltd introduced an abbreviated screening test based on the CSIRO Dark Fibre Detector.

Research to improve the efficiency of this test is currently being undertaken by the AWTA Ltd's Research & Development Division, and Australian Wool Innovations is funding 3 projects by other organisations also aiming for a more efficient test.